This week's topic, after a delayed (coughcoughihadaweekoffandslackedcoughcough) time, is differentiation. For me it's got a few points that are worth talking about. So, away we go...
For me, differentiation can mean a few things. The first way that I've always taken it is that I have to realize that there are different ways to learn. I try to present different ways for students to learn the material that I have to present due to the reality that not all students learn the same. We talked about that at length in class--it's about recognizing which students are visual learners, which ones are audio learners, etc. I try to venture away from the lecture circuit with the kids if possible. I'll try to showcase what they're going to do, and then immerse them in it right away, and try to monitor their progress through conversation.
In terms of connecting this to my lessons, I have to go back and look at the beginning of my unit. How am I presenting my unit, and how can I adapt it to meet the needs of the different styles of learners? I don't think that I need to reinvent the wheel. I think I just need to tweak the existing unit that I have.
However, there is another way to look at differentiation, and that's meeting the needs of the motivational levels of the student. In other words, how do I challenge those who find this assignment easy, and how do I help those who find the assignment extremely difficult? That's another idea that I have to keep in mind as I plan my unit, as the reality is that there will be varying speeds of completion of the project at hand. I've begun planning some alterations to the project that I'm working on in order to challenge those who complete the assignment easily and effectively. Again, that's something where tweaking is the most likely solution.
Overall, it's an interesting idea, and something that will always be a reality in the classroom. I hope that I'm on the road to correctly identifying the needs of the students in my class. As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated.
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Sometimes serious, most times not. I'm much like my students; I usually don't end up on the same subject I started on...
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- BryanDaDamaja
- Mr. Corcoran 13 Year Teacher Soon to be a Master's Degree owner. On the computer...A LOT.
2 comments:
Good points -- there are definitely different issues to address in the area of differentiation. The obvious learning styles, skill levels - but I like that you recognized the importance of the interest level and motivation. We will always be facing the need to provide different avenues for students to learn.
Great stuff! It seems that differentiation is the norm. I suppose we do this naturally. It is always great to get new techniques and to reflect upon our current techniques.
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